


The General

by OrangeBlossoms



Series: FEmslash February 2018 [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuuin no Tsurugi | Fire Emblem: Binding Blade
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, F/F, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-01
Updated: 2018-02-01
Packaged: 2019-03-12 04:25:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13539660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrangeBlossoms/pseuds/OrangeBlossoms
Summary: Dorothy and Clarine carve out a life together after the war.





	The General

**Author's Note:**

> To kick off FEmslash February... a story with a troubadour (expect more stories with troubadours in the coming weeks). I won't have stuff for every day this month, but hopefully every few days. This pairing was a request from Lilly. 
> 
> The title is a bit aspirational.

As she makes her way up the unpaved path crossed with deep gauges from wagon wheels, a thought hits her with all the abruptness of a sniper’s arrow. She rides a horse now. She never would have dreamed growing up that she would ever do much riding let alone _own_ a horse. Horses are for people with land and money or the people of the plains where they’re a way of life. 

More than horseback riding, she’s experienced a lot of things that she never would have imagined when she was little, partly because her world was much smaller back then when everyone she knew never traveled far except for pilgrims and eccentric ascetics. The woods outside the village bred rumors of wild and outlandish things, but beasts with no names are nothing compared to wyverns and pegasi and real live dragons. There is little that is strange anymore as she has witnessed sights that even some of the nobles in court with all their books and their wit would struggle to conjure up images to do them justice. It’s not a bragging point or her place to judge either way. It could’ve all happened so differently if she hadn’t agreed to escort that wayward holy man.

The commander is waiting for her, so she moves along the tents, others nodding in greeting as she passes. She hands her reins over to a trainee and says she will stop by later after she’s made her report. The grass is frosted over and her boots crunch on contact. Clarine has attempted to get her to wear the same fancy get up she’s worn her whole life, but she carries small favors instead. It’s a compromise now that Clarine does her best to understand her perspective even if it seems as likely as a fish being able to talk with a bird at times. Today there is a handkerchief that smells of roses tucked into a pocket at her breast, a single burst of color against the leather. Some days it’s a brooch or a ring, small things that won’t get in the way of her work. 

It’s a simple operation to clear the area of bandits and there really is no reason for someone of such high rank to be out in the hinterlands like this, but Clarine insisted and so Dorothy’s there, too. They call her the Commander’s Dog and say she’s as pretty as one, too. That’s only been enhanced over the years with a scar running over the bridge of her nose and across her cheek that wasn’t healed in time to avoid a permanent mark. Her ladyship says it’s dashing and when they’re alone she leans in to brush her lips over the imperfection in repeated appreciation as the blow had been meant for her instead. 

Clarine has mellowed over the years, all the energy that went into acting out now focused on her role in serving her country. It’s like running away and breaking free all at once. New responsibilities become a ward against unwanted ones and if she does a good enough job, no one hassles her too much. Maybe if she wasn’t General Pent’s daughter, it never would have been allowed or if Elibe hadn’t gone through so much unrest over the decades, they would still be stuck in old ways. A mage once said their generation lived under a bad star, but Dorothy likes to keep it simple, so she works on tasks she understands like protecting villages and assisting her commander. Dorothy might’ve expanded her horizons, but she is content to leave magic and prophecies to those who know best. She wanted to be a healer once, but has long since accepted her strengths and focused on the things she can change instead of the things she can’t. She’s the more practical one of the two, but she can’t deny Clarine when she dreams up something grand. 

There’s a light glowing from inside the tent giving it a sense of warmth even if it doesn’t quite feel like home. She opens up the front flap to see Clarine leaning over maps with a furrowed brow and twisted lips. Even when she’s cross, she’s beautiful. 

“Ah, you’re back!” she says, glancing up in salutation. The annoyance fades away as their eyes meet. 

There is no one present, so Clarine smiles and walks over to her side, leaning up to kiss a cheek causing her own lips to quirk upwards in response. She’s a proper lady during the day and Dorothy is an equally proper and stalwart companion, but they can afford an affectionate greeting before focusing on the business at hand. They aren’t a secret, but propriety still wins out in the end and Dorothy’s not much for unwanted attention besides.

“We’ve cleared out those awful caves to the east, but it seems that was merely an offshoot. What did they say in the village then?”

“The elder is ill so I talked with his daughter. It would be a sign of goodwill if we sent over a cleric--” she begins and Clarine perks up at the thought.

“I’ll go myself! It’s been some time since I’ve had a chance to dust off my staves,” she says with a prim smile that suggests she’s pleased with her plan.

“You should take one of the knights with you, if you want me to take care of things here. I can show you on the map where the other hideouts are and the central base they appear to be operating from.” 

They spend the next stretch of time making plans and refining ones already drawn up. Dorothy is her connection to the common folk because even with her scar, she’s easier for most to talk to and look at without getting nervous about paying the proper respect. It’s a point of view that took time for Clarine to understand, not quite grasping her own limitations until she nearly botched an operation by riding in and demanding information with all the subtlety of a wyvern with a bellyache. She’s grown able to acknowledge her faults (for the most part) just as Dorothy has embraced her own better qualities (in general). 

Dorothy sometimes wonders if they’re operating on borrowed time and the first instance she brought it up, it made Clarine furious at the world. She’s so determined it makes Dorothy consider that maybe they’d pull through in the end after all. So, she keeps notching arrows and Clarine continues to lead expeditions. One day she’ll be a general, Dorothy is sure of it and she tells her so during the quiet hours when Clarine whispers worries after there are no comforts left to be had from sweet nothings. 

In her own flowery words, Clarine tells her she’s solid and reliable and she wouldn’t change her for anything even if she won’t wear flashy clothes or drink tea with her pinkie up. The last is said with some humor as she’s learned how to poke fun at herself even if she still doesn’t take kindly to when most anyone else does it.

After they talk, others are called to a strategy meeting. The assignment should be completed within the week and they’ll be on the road again to their next destination. It’s not an uncomplicated life, but it’s theirs.

**Author's Note:**

> I just… want all the troubadours and the little sisters who express interest in doing great things to have a chance to do so. It’s a big part of why I like Maribelle and L’Arachel so much. They do what they want in their epilogues even with the understanding that they’ll meet resistance. Clarine didn’t want to go back and be treated like a doll on display, so I wanted her to have a shot at working towards Sorcery General. She brings Dorothy along for the ride and they both do some growing up together.


End file.
